Returned Soldier Sculpture for Tooraweenah

Council will be installing the Returned Soldier sculpture at the GK Rohr Warrumbungle Viewing Platform on Wednesday, 7 November.

This will be ahead of the Remembrance Day commemorations, Sunday, 11 November, which has special significance this year, marking the Centenary of Armistice that ended the hostilities of World War I.

This sculpture, by artist Brett Garling, depicts a returned soldier stripping off his army uniform while reaching for a plough. Renouncing war, he looks toward his new life on the land.

The location, with views over the Warrumbungle mountain ranges and surrounding farmland, symbolises the story of the servicemen and women who took up farming and under the Soldier Settlement schemes following World Wars land ll.

Acting Mayor, Ash Walker says Council believes the project is an exciting one for the Gilgandra Shire, with a synergy to the sculpture in Gilgandra.

“Brett has linked the story of his Coo-ee Bronze Sculpture creation in Gilgandra, representing the departure of young men for war in 1915, with the returned soldier at Tooraweenah, marking the conclusion of war and the beginning of a new chapter.”

Adding,

“Generations of farmers have continued in the Tooraweenah district since and their success is a significant legacy of the soldier's story and motivation”.

Brett Garling, an accomplished sculptor whose work is highly regarded worldwide, is also a descendant of one of the pioneer Garling settlers in the Tooraweenah township.

Gilgandra Shire Council called for submissions from community to present ideas for a suitable project to commemorate the Armistice of World War I with a $40,000 budget allocated in the 2017/18 year.

Council sought community feedback by way of engagement through social media, local newspaper and radio, and letters to community groups to invite their suggestions, with the Returned Soldier sculpture being the project selected by Council following this consultation process.